1: The title is called “Metal Hammer” as it presents the type of music genre that the magazine focuses on, and the word hammer is in reference to a instrument of violence in many crimes of brutalization, which links to the music featured inside as there are several bands who sing about violence using such weaponry, and appeal to the violent and brutal natured audience which accompany the music genre.
2: The title itself is shortened in this particular issue, to add emphasis on the picture of the main title, it is placed in such a way as to establish itself, yet remain less ambiguous than the main image. It is cleverly blended into the stars accompanying the main image using effects, in the style of a star constellation, making it seem very suitable to the picture it accompanies.
3: The strap line “welcome to hall” is an appropriate accompany to the picture, as it effectively emphasises the picture and is suited to the audience of the magazine as it appeals to the satanic concept, which the fans support and strive for when listening to the artist portrayed in the picture.
4: The main image is of the lead vocalist of a popular black metal band, dressed in elaborate, unique and emphatic clothing, resembling a god of his culture, which could be misinterpreted as satanic, due to its anti-Christian concepts (such as its use of the pentagram and the headwear resembling certain representations of Satan). The environment surrounding him is suited to the clothing he is wearing, as he is depicted in a winter wasteland in the sense of its emptiness, and this supports the concept of a cold atmosphere around him, thus the clothing is somewhat suitable in terms of how it would keep him warm. The facial expression and the way his eyes are looking in terms to the camera are unnoticeable behind the headwear he has on, although it is implied he is looking at the camera, and his body language is of somebody putting their fingers to their lips, in a motion promoting the requisition of silence. The whole atmosphere of the picture is somewhat domineering to the audience because of his huge.
5: There are no other images, to emphasize the main picture effectively, and not draw attention away from its dominating effect.
6: There are no cover lines, once again, emphasising the main picture, adding a sense of mystery to the audience, and making it somewhat unique in comparison to other magazines of a similar genre.
7: The colours are very bland, almost monochrome, which complements the picture, imagery and atmosphere trying to be portrayed through the cover, the text also uses the dark and bland colour scheme to make the entire front cover look very suited to the picture and themes within the magazine. The font used for the magazine’s title is in the style of a star constellation, which works well with the front covers picture, as it seems to morph in with the star ridden sky in the actual picture, giving a very aesthetically pleasing effect. The style of writing for the strap line is in a gothic style, which goes effectively with the gothic style of clothing and look of the picture used in the front cover.
8: There are a questionable amount of language devices in the text of the front cover, as it consists of only one short line of text, not counting the magazine’s title, the language is not appealing to any stereotypical audiences, yet is addressing them directly, and can be seen as nothing short of an emphatic text accompanying the picture. Alternatively, it could appeal to an audience in support of the presented artist’s lifestyle choice, or a simple joke in reference to the way in which the picture is a mockery of the Christian faith, and is entirely satirical, a sense of dark humour commonly shared by enthusiasts of the particular sub-genre of metal music represented by the artist on the front cover.
9: The cover shares little similarity to other magazines, the title of the magazine itself is not emphasised in the same way that others use, there is little and no pictures other than the main front cover picture, which is unique to most magazines on the market, there is absolutely no description of the front cover, such as information on who the person is, what they do, or what they stand for, which is unlike most magazines as it isn’t advertising itself to an audience. The cover could be deemed inappropriate for religious majorities; the outfit being worn by the artist in the picture contains elements of Satanism and religious intolerance and the text accompanying it could be represented as mockery in a satirical fashion towards religion, something which the vast majority of magazine published to a mainstream audience do not incorporate into their front covers for obvious ethical reasons. The content or material inside of the magazine is not written or presented in the cover, unlike most magazines, and there is an element of mystery about it, which could be considered a negative selling aspect for the magazines, yet has been manipulated in such a way as to become advantageous in attracting an audience’s attention from other magazines due to its uniqueness in comparison to other magazines.
10: The cover has a slightly larger than average size, and the print and paper quality is quite high in comparison to other magazines, emphasising quality among other things.
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